[piano playing]

Burr Guthrie: I came to Oakland Adult and Career in 2006. And that first year, we had a series of retreats at the waterfront hotel in Jack London Square in Oakland. And during one of our retreats there, Rigo was kind of overseeing the servers, in the banquet room we were in.

When I met Rigo, he had, transitioned out of adult ed and was on his trajectory in his professional career. I quickly realized he was a huge success story for OA and proceeded to nominate him.

Rigoberto Alvarado: So in 1991, I came to Oakland, California, like everybody else looking for a better opportunity to learn and to live. And then I started the ESL classes in this is school, in this room. I remember I had some classes over here, and then they helped me a lot.

I dish washed in the restaurant. I went to clean the gardens. I did everything. But you know, I really like what I do now. And the interaction with the people, that's what I like.

I had the opportunity, to be little by little in all the positions that we have in my department. So I started as a houseman doing all the setups. So then I became a server. After a server, I became a banquet captain, and this is very important.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of your talking, because you know, I knew it, that, this is not my native language, I know that sometimes I can't pronounce very well. I'm still having that kind of problem. Sometimes, people don't understand what I try to say. But you know, I'm-- I know I'm in the process, I'm learning, I'm still learning.

Nicole Rua: He just has a great, charismatic, personality. And I knew, that he could connect with my students in a way that I couldn't. When I met him at our ceremony and started an email exchange, I knew right away that he could come and speak and address those issues.

Rigoberto Alvarado: I told him I can go to school-- I mean to stores or anywhere, where people who don't speak Spanish at all. And don't feel-- don't feel bad, if you can pronounce very well, because that was one of the things that happen to us. That when we want to communicate, and we can pronounce very well, so we get frustrated, and that's very bad.

My priority was English. But the opportunities that I had at work, so this made me go back too because I want to learn from computers also. And then I went to get some thing like diploma of GED, because I used to look everywhere, they want GED diploma or computer skills to get the job that I wanted.

I remember my boss went for vacation for almost two months. And I was in charge, temporally in charge for the whole department. I was in charge to do all the payments, the checks for all the events that we have in-house, and to use those, I had to know how to use a computer.

So when my boss came back from vacation, they gave me a big, big, surprise. I said, what did I do? So they tell me that general manager was there. He has been promoted to food and beverage director, and we are going to nominate you as a banquet assistant manager those days. So I couldn't believe it.

So then I was so happy, because with that came, you know, my salary increase. My responsibility also increased in all, you know, everything, my environment, at work, at home, everything changed. Because that motivated me to be a good person and help out the other ones when I can.

Nicole Rua: It's really important to see students come back and share with their community, and show students that it's important to come to school on a regular basis and to set goals and connect with the community and share how going to school really does make a difference, even when you're frustrated.

Rigoberto Alvarado: Like in my case, I feel so proud for the people here in this country. It's to open the whole environment for me, to make it easy for me to live here. That's why, I like to go, when I'm invited or when I have opportunity to tell people. You know, think about it, so we are not here just to make money and it's become a part of a good citizen.

Burr Guthrie: I really am so happy to know Rigo and how he, exemplifies how adult ed helped him get where he is, and it's really satisfying for him. And it's satisfying for me to know that I'm involved in a part of education that can act as a tool for social justice, and help people get where they're going.

[piano playing]